Rick’s hike around Mt Blanc

I saw it to. Don’t know but he said 10 miles a day for 10 days. What was pictured did not look too back

REI Article:

https://www.rei.com/blog/travel/how-to-hike-the-tour-du-mont-blanc

Selected sections:

How to Prepare for the Tour du Mont Blanc:
The TMB is a serious hike and most people shouldn’t attempt it off-the-couch. It takes proper preparation. You must be physically fit and equipped with the right gear and clothing. Whether you’re trekking with or without a guide, it’s also a good idea to have first-aid certification, or better yet, a wilderness first-responder certification. Yes, there are many towns along the way and lots of people on the trail, but it’s always good to know how to read a map and have some wilderness medicine experience before taking on this famous trek.

and...

How to Train
It’s safe to say that you’ll probably be sore no matter how you prepare for the TMB. There’s no way around 100 miles and your knees will be feeling it by the end. That said, get in shape. If you’re going to do something this epic, you’re going to want to be energized and taking everything in instead of looking at your toes and grunting your way through Europe.

The best way to train? You guessed it: hike! For at least six weeks to three months before your trip, get out on the steepest local trails (or long stairways) you can find, two to three times a week, wearing a progressively heavier pack. Work up to a 30-mile week, then take a week off before you leave. Some strength training in the gym (low reps, heavy weight) and yoga on top couldn’t hurt.

Gear List:

https://www.rei.com/blog/travel/tour-du-mont-blanc-hiking-gear-list

Obviously gorgeous, but not for the faint of heart, although I have never done it. Might try if my wife and I can get a training regime down.

My own attempt on this didn’t end well. The walking included some hefty uphills and also the corresponding downhill sections, which in my view can be more taxing. The route up to the Fenetre D’Arpette is as technical as it got for me (there are some laddered rock ascents on the final two days) as I tripped and fell the day after reaching the Fenetre, rupturing a quad and ripping out the tendons connecting it to the knee, resulting in a weeks stay and surgery in a hospital at Cluses in the Chamonix valley. Still, if you are going to require knee surgery, around Chamonix is a good choice! Lest it be thought I injured myself in some technical climbing manoeuvre I should clarify it was on a rocky path on the approach to Col De Balme and in normal circumstances not difficult. It was bad luck really, I could have done the same thing slipping in the supermarket. Sod’s Law.

It’s a marvellous hike, but a level of fitness is required and the days can be quite long. Judging by distance alone isn’t a fair reflection of the exertion each day demands. The above REI guidelines should be read and noted!

I’d recommend staying upright for the duration too.....

Ian

Always nice to get info from somebody who has been there/done that.
Thanks, ianandjulie! Sorry for the unpleasant ending.

I watched that episode and it did peak my interest. Rick only did 2 segments, so I guess that is a possibility.

A regular Forum participant and very experienced hiker, Lola, did the full hike with a guide last fall. In addition to being a regular conditioned hiker, it's important to reserve your bed in the gite well in advance. There's room for only about half the people who show up nightly, at least before COVID. The others had to sleep outside in the snow though they could get dinner and breakfast.

My impression was RS did only a days worth of the hike, not the complete circuit.

Stunning to hear people go out on the hike and not have their room reserved.

Thanks all for the good information. Sounds like even a day’s hike with 1 overnight is really only best for experienced hikers. That wouldn’t be me but oh well, a gal can dream!

What a wonderful episode, especially starting with Lyon - bittersweet not being able to be there!

We haven’t done any of that hike circuit (yet), but Rick was sure inspirational and encouraging. An ultra marathoning friend ran it once. Rick did have a guide, and he did say that you can do as little or as much as you want, or for what you have time to do. One option is to pick an easier, more level part, hike it until it gets too steep, then turn around and walk back to a good getting-off point.

Rick did have sturdy hiking boots, too, so was not wearing the single pair of well-broken-in casual urban type of shoe he’s sported in every show over the past several decades, citing packing light as his priority. For that kind of walk, wearing proper, supportive hiking boots would be mandatory. Interesting that all the refuge huts had racks with many, many boots on shelves, drying and staying out of the main interior, so at least one other comfortable pair of footwear’s also needed when you’re not out on the trail.

We hiked the length of Hadrian’s Wall in England, averaging about 10 miles a day. There was a particularly hilly day in the middle of our week, but our pace didn’t push things too hard, even on flatter sections. Proper footwear and socks, again, are critical - a blister can suddenly change things for the worse. It was great to hear that the Mt. Blanc system also offers luggage transfer, taking your bag(s) to your next accommodations, so you can get by on the trail with just a light daypack of essentials. We used that for Hadrian’s Wall, too, and it made things much, much easier.

Towards the end of the show, however, Rick and his guide were sitting across from each other, dangling their feet in a cooling stream, enjoying a refreshing break. Here in Colorado, sticking your feet in a stream has been taboo for decades - just like you don’t spit or urinate in a creek. If you want to rinse off your feet, no problem, but scoop some water out of the stream, and pour it on your feet, a little away from the bank of the stream. If everybody soaked like that in that stream . . .

Yes, the bed reservation is really a problem up there. A lot of young people just take off without thinking about it. There was a fairly long program about running the huts on French TV that we saw a couple of years ago. The huts fall into town or departmental districts so they are run by local government. The program showed the work of the people hired to run the huts: managing the beds, policing, making meals for 100, etc. It also showed the people arriving without reservations and having to pitch tents outside. There were a lot the evening it was filmed.

I'd be a little concerned that if RS did a day hike and made it look easy, that could generate a lot of unprepared people going up and trying things they shouldn't.

"Thanks all for the good information. Sounds like even a day’s hike with 1 overnight is really only best for experienced hikers. That wouldn’t be me but oh well, a gal can dream!"

That is not what I got from watching Rick's program. He started out by saying go to the hike information center and people there would advise you on sections of the trail that met you capabilities. Rick is NOT an experienced hiker and he did two sections.

Here's the blog post that RS put up when they were filming the episode:
https://blog.ricksteves.com/blog/mont-blanc/?
He says right off that he's not doing the whole circuit, but enjoying the chance to beat a different path than he's used to.

There are some European companies that do TdMB full trips and selected highlights trips. British ones that spring to mind are Explore and KE Adventure. I personally was on the KE tour when I had my unfortunate mishap. There was one couple from the USA on my trip. Other companies are available of course, but the big advantage of the majority is that they book your accommodation en route, including some mountain refuges, and supply guides and transport you and your luggage, making life easier. The walking, you still have to do and the route is such that on most days, once started, you are committed!

Ian

Looks like we were all inspired by the same episode! We would like to replicate the short portion of the Mt. Blanc hike that Rick did, however we have only been able to figure out a small amount of the nuts and bolts of his short trek. We know he stayed at the Chalet Refuge Nant Borrant. Nothing about the TMB is listed in his most current 2020 France Guidebook.

If anyone has any additional information about trekking this small part of the larger TMB trail we would be grateful!

In tonight's Monday Travel zoom session Rick tried to pronounce the names of the chalets and valleys that appeared in the episode, and it sounds like what he meant to say was that the refuge they stayed at, I'm assuming the first of his two nights, was the
Refuge de Nant Borrant
which is a six or seven hour hike south/southwest of Chamonix.
http://www.refuge-nantborrant.com/home/
Dorm only is just 22 euros; add dining and it's 48 euros. Not sure what half-board includes besides that soup and potato gratin dinner...

I just saw this thread. I was going to write kudos to Rick after watching the new French Alps show, with the segment on hiking the Tour du Mont Blanc. But will post here instead, or maybe in addition.

As Bets says, we did hike the Tour du Mont Blanc in 2018, going on a guided hike with REI Adventures. We did six segments of the 100+ mile trail (there are variants that have different total mileage), with 6 overnights in village hotels or mountain inns. So we did not walk every step of the circuit, but I believe we walked the most scenic sections. We had to skip one day of the route due to massive mudslides that closed the trail; our guide substituted a very scenic day hike that was the most strenuous day of our tour, with 4000 feet of elevation gain over a total of 14 miles. This was after out guide has assessed our group (9 hikers) and was confident that we were capable of that.

I believe Rick did 3 days of walking, with the overnights at a mountain refuge named above, and one other. I have a vague idea of where he walked. Our first day started with a lift from the village of Les Houches, about 10 minutes by bus from Chamonix. From the top of the lift we hiked to the village of Les Contamines—-basically a ski resort. Since the refuge that Rick enjoyed is near this village, they may have done the same walk. It was definitely not strenuous; more of a level stroll through woods and meadows than I expected. But that was a good thing, as I was having boot problems resulting from a slight ankle injury I sustained while hiking in Switzerland before the Mount Blanc hike. My daughter-in-law (a physician) who was with us said it was likely a mild sprain, but the result was I could not stand any pressure on my anklebone. So I needed to ditch my trusty mid-height La Sportiva boots and get some low-cut hiking shoes instead. Risky, I know, to embark on 5 more days of tough hiking in new boots/shoes, but fortunately it worked out fine. I actually had a fun experience shopping for the new shoes in the village (I will recount that story later if anyone wants to hear it), and ended up with a pair of Salomon X-Alp trail shoes identical but for color to the ones our main guide Karen wore. They turned out to be so comfortable I bought a spare pair when we arrived back home, on sale because that line was discontinued.

From Les Contimines, we continued on the TMB trail in the anti-clockwise direction, which is preferred by most for the better views, especially on the last day as you come back to Chamonix. I cannot recall the names of all of our overnight stops——one of the hazards of going on a guided tour instead of doing my own travel planning—-but I know they included the resort town of Courmayeur in Italy and the village of Champex in Switzerland (where the hotel served us one of the tastiest dinners I’ve had in my life). Other overnights were at small mountain inns well away from any village. These inns are not the same as the mountain refuges where Rick stayed. The refuges have shared sleeping accommodations in 4-person bunk rooms or larger dorms, while the inns have private rooms (in one case with shared bath). And the final night of the hike was at a nice hotel in Argentière, a village up the valley from Chamonix. From there we hiked back to Chamonix on a balcony route on the south side of the valley, stopping at Lac Blanc for lunch. My husband and others went for a swim in the lake, to the bemusement of our guides. Our hike ended at the la Flégère cablecar, which we rode down to Les Praz for a celebration in the park with cake and champagne. Our tour van took us back to Chamonix to the hotel where we met at the start for the last night, with a lovely group dinner at a local restaurant. The dessert buffet was particularly memorable!

I know Rick implies that the Tour du Mont Blanc can be done by pretty much anyone, but . . . . To be continued (reached maximum length).

I was very happy to see Rick enjoying this experience so much that he plans to return with friends and perhaps do the whole thing. That is the way we have been traveling in Europe for 20 years: we go for the hiking, and take along friends and family members, or join a guided group hike like the REI Adventures one we did. (We have enjoyed other REI hiking adventures in Slovenia and the Spanish Pyrenees).

And I applaud his effort to encourage his audience to give it a try. But his thought that any of average fitness can do this probably only applies to the shorter, 3-day hike like he did, in good weather. To do a longer route, like the 6 days we did, or the whole circuit, I believe one should have a good level of fitness (better than average) and considerable hiking experience, especially if you are going without a guide. In a week on the trail even the best-planned hike will have some glitches like bad weather (we had our share), or route-finding difficulties (not a problem with a guide, but a good friend of mine did a self-guided trip with 2 friends, and they got off-route twice, adding considerable mileage to their day). Hiking day after day, continuously, takes a toll on your body if you are not accustomed to it. You need some experience to learn how to read a hiking map and deal with problems like blisters, snowfields, stream crossings, lightning, etc., and you need to find out if you can manage the distances and elevation gain/loss involved. Some of our days had us hiking 12 miles or more, with 3000 feet or more of elevation change. And one had us descending 2000 feet over 3 miles of wet rock in a downpour, with thunder in the distance—-this would not have been easy for the inexperienced. (Fortunately we had our guide to handle the route-finding part over the rock, with the limited visability).

As for planning, if you want to plan your own TMB, there are resources like websites and guidebooks. I bought one named Tour du Mont Blanc by Jim Mannthorpe, which has good maps and route directions, but I never actually used it on the hike itself. Or you could use a service that plans self-guided trips for you. That is, they book the refuges and inns for you (as Rick emphasizes, reservations are a must), arrange for luggage transport, and provide route directions and maps. The friend I mentioned above, who is a very experienced hiker, used a company called Distant Journeys for the TMB, and was quite pleased with their service

https://www.distantjourneys.com/

I believe she paid about half, or less, what we did for our fully guided trip. I have seen a number of other companies that offer self-guided trips, particularly UK-based companies such as the one mentioned by Ian and Julie above. Another would be Mac’s Adventures.

For fully-guided trips like the one we did, we like REI Adventures and Mountain Travel Sobek, but other companies do it as well. Also take a look at HF Holidays, another UK company. We have done several of their UK-based short hiking holidays and like them very much. They run about 3 TMB guided trips a summer (in normal times); the trips are 10-11 days (so they probably walk the entire circuit) and cost considerably less than the REI trip. We did not use them for our trip because we did not have that much time to devote to this trek, and I noticed they go the other way ‘round (clockwise). But I wouldn’t discourage anyone from going with them if you have the time. The other guests will mostly be British and we have always enjoyed their company.

Lola - I, for one, would love to hear the tale of your shoe shopping experience!

OK, Janet, here goes: my husband and I walked down the Main Street of Les Contamines-Montjoie from our hotel to find a sport shop where I could look for hiking shoes. The first one we came to (Intersport, aka Ronchail Sports) looked OK, and we went in, to be greeted by a nice looking salesman about the age of my sons (mid-forties)

After my obligatory “Bonjour”, I said my carefully-rehearsed “I am looking for new hiking shoes, low ones”, in my best high-school French. He smiled and nodded, and asked us to follow him into the next room, with the wall of display shoes. After I was seated, he smiled and asked a question in French. When I hesitated, he said “Shall we speak English?” I gratefully accepted, and proceed to explain that we were hiking the Tour du Mont Blanc, had 6 more days to hike, and my boots were hurting my anklebone, so I needed new lower ones. After a bit of friendly banter and measurement of my foot, he brought 3 boxes of shoes. The first pair was too small, the next were one size up and too large. I was hoping that like Goldilocks, I would find the third pair “just right.”

But that was not to be. When he opened the box and I saw that the shoes were grey with fuchsia trim, I couldn’t help saying “Those are the ugliest shoes I have ever seen!” (I loathe the color fuchsia). Fortunately he laughed instead of acting offended. He suggested I try them anyway, and said he would find me a shirt to match if they fit well. Needless to say, I dreaded the thought of a fuchsia shirt even more than the shoes. I slipped them on, but didn’t really give them a good try before shaking my head.

He accepted that with good nature and excused himself to go in the back for other shoes. The pair he brought out this time was grey with teal trim—-the color of the hiking shirt I was wearing. I tried these with more enthusiasm, and it turns out they were perfect—-good fit, comfortable, . . . . And just the right color. Turns out they were the same model shoe as the fuchsia ones, just a different color. I told him I was happy with those, and he responded that “All the smart ladies like this one.” I took that as a compliment.

The next morning, as we set out for our day’s hike, I realized that both our guides had the same Salomon hiking shoes. One woman wore an older model, and the other wore the exact same shoe as I bought—-but hers were fuchsia.

Hahaha! I am sure that was a story saved for later! :)

Great shoe shopping story. Personally, I’m only marginally concerned with the look of boots and shoes these days and go by what feels comfy. Thus I have a collection of fashion faux pas - regular boots in black with orange trim, winter boots in bile green with yellow trim, a pair of bright yellow approach shoes (OK, they were cheap) and a pair of walking shoes which turned out to be a ladies model, which fortunately are fawn/beige with the lilac element being minimal and on the inside! All comfortable though. My running shoes (sneakers, right?) are a similar collection of ‘jeez, where’s my shades?’ colourways but are tried and tested models for comfort (and occasionally bargain prices - never look a gift horse and all that...)

I think I can carry them all off.....

Hi,

I walked the TMB two years ago and loved every minute of it. However, I would forget any idea of cobbling something together yourself as this is a serious trek and one that warrants much expertise that outsiders could never put together for themselves.

I have been there twice: a quick four-night trip (a bit like Rick's 2 segments, but we did 3) and then we decided to do the whole thing.

Firstly, the lengths may seem short at 10 miles or so, but it's the ascents/descents that count. Do some pre-TMB training! However, it is not as challenging as some people say so long as the trip is chunked into doable sections. Moreover, I would avoid a hut to hut trail - or trial, I'd say. Why walk the legendary TMB and rough it every night? Doesn't make sense to me.

We Googled the TMB in comfort and came up with a family-run operator that specialises in France: The Enlightened Traveller - although the TMB takes you into Italy and Switzerland, bien sur! I am so glad we did as they are experts on the trail and really took care of us and the walking notes were so good that we hardly looked at the maps at all! We got to have a taste of hut/refuge life on the penultimate night of the trip in the shape of the Refuge Elisabetta run by an Italian host who is obsessed with fishing and spends the close season in Patagonia. A great guy and a really well-run hut!

Another advantage was NOT starting in Les Houches with the crowds and groups but from Courmayeur in Northern Italy - a great choice that means Chamonix is at the half-way stage and perfect for staying an extra night as we did. You can also visit the rock museum in Chamonix - a real treat!

I believe there are a variety of guided walks you can take, some much more strenuous/technical than others. I was in Chamonix a few Septembers ago and met a couple who had just completed a similar guided hike. I'd guess they were around mid-60s. They said the hiking was fairly straightforward walking until the weather turned and it snowed. They had a van with the bags that picked them up (or they could just ride) if they weren't up to the walk; it sounded like they never got too far from a road. They were very pleased with the accommodations. It might have been too rustic for many American travelers (sleeping in barns, for example) but was just the kind of experience they were hoping for. They said the food was great every place they stopped.

I am going to recommend that people who want to do this wonderful hike seriously consider going with a guided group. Climate change has led to an increase in rockfall and mudslides in the Alps in recent years, such as this huge slide in Switzerland in 2017 that caused the death of eight hikers and nearly wiped out the village of Bondo.

https://www.outsideonline.com/2400947/bondo-switzerland-landslide-climate-change

Local guides would be knowledgeable about such threats and would come up with alternate routes (as our guides did in 2018). Companies like REI Adventures, MT. Sobek and others hire local guides licensed by the Chamonix Guides Company for this purpose; they undergo extensive training for their certification. You can also book directly with the Compagniede Guides de Chamonix.

https://www.chamonix-guides.com/en

I was surprised when I read in the article that the hikers were not warned by the Refugio operators that the valley route was closed. Or perhaps they were warned, but did not take it seriously, in spite of the sign spelling out the life-threatening danger.

This article explains how climate change leads to the problem:

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-41049827

As I mentioned in my earlier post, there was a landslide, or severe threat of one, during our hike in 2018 that closed the trail in the valley we were due to hike from Italy into Switzerland. Our guides were able to design an alternate route, fortunately. We did not hear at the time if anyone was lost in the slide, and I cannot find any information about it now, so perhaps it was not a severe one. But the lesson was clear. And I have since seen other articles about the increased danger, such as a melting ice mass that threatened to unleash a huge slide in Italy in summer of 2019. And at least one of the popular climbing routes on Mont Blanc has been closed due to the danger of rockfall.

Here are two articles about the glacier on the Italy side of the Mont Blanc massif that threatens to collapse. It is in the Val Ferrat area, which is what was closed during our hike due to mudslides. The area was closed to traffic in 2019 and again in 2020 due to the melting glacier that could collapse at any time. And then the valley was evacuated last August. Apparently it hasn’t collapsed yet, so will still be a threat next summer.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-53692476

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-49820542